Trailer coupling



T. WEBER.

TRAILER COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED MAR: I. 1922.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

INVENTOR. 70/6/45 h ee/ BY WWW/1.427%

ATTORNEYS.

TOBIAS WEBER, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TRAILER COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 15, 1922 Application filed March 7, 1922. Serial No. 541,796.

pertains particularly to a catch for holding the hook guard. 4

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a catch which will act as a detentto hold the guard in open or closed position; and further to provide a construction such that the catch may be manually adjusted so that it will not lock the guard. Another object of this invention is to provide a construction of the character described in which the catch may be set so as not to lock the guard, and opening of the guard, will cause the catch to be set for locking it in closed position.

These objects together with other objects and corresponding accomplishments are obtained by means of the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hook, with a portion of the catch housing broken away to better show the construction; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation with part in section showing the complete hook.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, a. base or attachment plate is indicated; by 3. This plate is provided with bolt holes to receive bolts 4:, which are passed through the body of the wagon indicated by 5 in Fig. 2, and through a yoke plate 6 resting against the inside of the body. Outstanding from the base are ears 7 joined at the front by a bridge 8 forming a bracket. The bridge serves as an abutment for the swinging guard which is pivotally mounted in the bracket. Extending from one side of an ear 7 is a catch housing 9. Disposed below the bracket, which overhangs it, is a hook 10.

Mounted in bearings on the cars is a pivot shaft 11. The pivot shaft is bent laterally at one end to form a handle 12, whereby it can be grasped and moved. A guard lL is formedwith a sleeve 15 at its forward end. The sleeve is bored and receives the pivot shaft 11. The guard and shaft are secured together by 'meansof a set screw 16 so-that the relative angle between the two may be ad usted to suit theconvenience of the operator. Guard 14 is of fan shape and has an extension 17 to register with the end of the hook 10. The sleeve15 is formed with a stop 18 for engaging the bridge 8 and limitmg the movement of theguard to its open position} Formed in the guar'dand extending therethrough are holes'19 and 20. Dis- I posed intermediate holes 19 and 20 and adjacent hole 20 is a lug 21. Lug 21 forms a tappet for a purpose later described.

Slidably and rotatably disposed ingthe housing 9 is a latch pin 22. The latch pin is provided with collar 23, and a reduced portion 24 is provided to engage and hold the guard- A spring 25 is disposed over the pin 22 between the collar 23 and a shoulder 26 in the housing. The outer end of thepin is provided with a. head 27 which may be conveniently grasped. Extending from the end of the latch pin is an eccentrically disposed lug 28 for engagement by the tappet 21. Mounted upon the latch pin and extending laterally, is a stop pin 29. The stop pin 18 arranged to rest against the end of. the housing and limit the position to which the spring 25 may move the pin. Theouter end of the housing is constructed to form 7 three steps 30, 31, and 32. When the stop pin 29 rests against step 30, the latch pin is in such position that it will not enter either the hole 19 or 20 and eccentric lug 28 is out of the path of the tappet 21. \Vhen the stop pin 29 rests against the step 31, the pin 22 is so disposed that eccentric pin 28 is in the path of tappet 21. Upon swinging the guard into open position the tappet will engage eccentric pin 28, thereby turning latch pin 22 so that stop pin 29 may rest against step 32.

In this position, the latch pin will be forced into either hole 19 or 20 when in register therewith, and thus lock the guard.

An eye for attaching to the hook is indicated by 33, and in the drawing, the eyeis shown in position on the hook 10 with the guard in closed position. The stop pin is disposed against step 31 with the eccentric pin 28 in the path of tappet 21. The weight of the. guard is suflicient to hold the latter,

in its closed position. If it is desired to remove the eye from the hook, handle 12 is grasped and by pressing upon the same the guard may be lifted. When the guard reaches its upper position, tappet 21 engages eccentric 28, turns latch pin 24 so that stop pin 29 registers With step Latch pin 24L will drop into hole and will hold the guard in open position. To re lease the guard, catch 22 is Withdrawn from the hole 20 allowing the guard to drop. The catch is then turned so that stop 29 rests against step 31. Suppose the eye is to be engaged with the hook, the eye is forced against the extension 17. This raises the guard so that tappet 21 engages the eccentric 28 and turns the catch. In practice the Weight of the guard is such that it will not be raised sufliciently by impact of the eye for the lower hole to be engaged by the catch. When the guard drops, the spring i'orces the catch into hole 19 thereby locking the guard closed. If it is desired to set the catch so that it Will not operate, the catch is turned so that stop 29 rests against step 30.

What I claim is:

1. In a coupling the combination with a hook and a pivoted guard for closing the mouth of said hook, of locking means to positively hold said guard in a predetermined position relative to said hook, sald locking means comprising a latch, means to manually set said latch in unlocking position, and means operated by opening of the guard to release said latch from unlocking position.

2. In a coupling the combination With a hook and a pivoted guard for closing the mouth of said hook having a hole for a latch pin. to lock the guard in a predetermined position of a latch pin and a spring mounted so that the spring will tend to "force said pin into said hole, and means to limit the movement of said pin into said hole so that it may be set in locking or unlocking position, and means operated by opening of the guard to release said latch from unlocking position.

3. In a coupling, the combination as specitied in claim 3 characterized by the guard having a tappet and an eccentric pin on said latch whereby said latch pin Will be rotated from unlocking to locking position upon engagement by said tappet when said guard is moved in one direction.

In Witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 17th day of February, 1922.

TOBIAS XVEBER. 

